Allman Brothers 3-13-09

The Beacon Theater 3-13-09

Set 1
Midnight Rider
Don't Keep Me Wonderin
Done Somebody Wrong
New Instrumental
Into The Mystic w/The Juke Horns
One Way Out w/Bruce Willis
Smokestack Lightning w/Bruce Willis
Southbound w/The Juke Horns

Set 2
It's Takes A Lot To Laugh (It Takes A Train To Cry) w/Boz Scaggs
Sick and Tired of Fooling Around With You w/Boz Scaggs and The Juke Horns
Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City w/Boz Scaggs and The Juke Horns
Loan Me A Dime w/Boz Scaggs and The Juke Horns
The Same Thing w/The Juke Horns
Wasted Words
No One To Run With

Encore
Whipping Post

  The evening started out the same as a Beacon run usually does for me and got mule, beers and burgers at Connoleys. A short train ride and we're there. Tickets out, security, and we're in about 7:30. The place looks great-cleaned up, new seats, carpets-nice. Our seats are in the middle, on the floor about a dozen or so rows from the stage.
  The lights dim and someone says over the p.a. that tonights performance is dedicated to the founding member of the band, Duane Allman. The band breaks into Midnight Rider as movie and still images of Duane are shown on the screen behind the band. Pretty nice, they are sounding good as we cruise along through the first few songs. Then sure enough,
the Juke Horns (as in Asbury) take the stage for a sweet version of Into The Mystic. They leave after that tune but you know they're comming back.                                                                                                                                                     
  Then, to my suprise and everyone else's, Bruce Willis is introduced and starts blowing harp. One Way Out and he's doin good,next an old Howlin Wolf tune Smokestack Lightning and I gotta tell you that I was not dissapointed in any way with Bruces' playing, he was good. The first set ends with the hottest version of Southbound I have ever heard as that hot horn section served up some rightious funkalicious groove that took that song to a higher level.

                                                                                    INTERMISSION

  The second set starts out with Boz Scaggs doin It Takes ALot To Laugh and the song started out a little shakey but it wasn't too long before the players found the sweet spot and stayed there. Boz and Greg each took a verse or two and it came off ok. The Jukes come back out and the next couple of songs were great. Boz 's voice was clear and sounded great. Loan Me A Dime was perfect blues. I don't think anyone would want to argue that. That song sent a chill up my spine it was that good. Boz went off to thunderous applause.
  No One To Run With was another stand out part of the night as the screen behind the band was projecting images of the late great members of the band, Duane Allman, Allen Woody and Berry Oakly while superimposing Derek and Warren into the mix. It was cool. They ended the night with the sickest version of Whipping Post ever. Derek and Warren really shine here.
  Finally just a note about the band. It was clear from the start that this was going to  be a good night, aside from some tempo issues I felt they were having with some of the standard Allman tunes (it felt to me that they were a couple of clicks slow). Greg was having a blast up there and while he didn't sing as much as I would have liked, when he did he was spot on as was his playing. Derek handled most of the leads early on and I absolutly noticed a marked improvment in his tone. Gone are the Fender super sixes, he was playing out of a PRS amp and I found his tone to be much less shrill and  complimented Warrens' nicely. Warren is the man. He sang and played great and his tone is always good. Otiell can and does flat out boogie. His playing was awesome and I enjoyed him as much as anybody there. Finally lets talk about percussion. If you've ever seen the Brothers the first thing you notice when you look at the stage is that it looks like the drum room at guitar center. Butch Trucks is an awesome drummer and the work horse that drives the ABB rythem section. Jaimoe adds class and flavor to the mix and last but not least Marc Quinones, the human metronome, has got alot of toys to keep him busy and us entertained.
  It was a good night with a stand out performance by Boz Scaggs who I am sure I never would have seen had I not been at last nights show. If you ever get a chance to see the Allmans, do it, just do it.

Peace and Respect to all
fuzzy wuzzy